Kit Harington confirmed for role in Marvel's 'The Eternals'

Announcement comes at D23 Expo

ANAHEIM, California (CNN) - Kit Harington has been confirmed for a role in Marvel's "The Eternals," bringing the "Game of Thrones" star into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The announcement came at D23 Expo, the biennial convention devoted to all things Disney. The event for the Walt Disney Studios also included footage of the upcoming sequel "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker," as well as "The Black Widow" and "Frozen II," among other eagerly anticipated films.

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Harington will play Dane Whitman, aka the heroic Black Knight, in the movie. That's not one of the characters known as the Eternals in the comics, which were created by Jack Kirby.

Deadline had reported that Harington would be joining the Marvel stable, without any details about in what capacity. That triggered speculation about a number of higher-profile characters the actor might play.

The film -- about a race of immortal beings -- features an ensemble cast that includes Salma Hayek, Angelina Jolie, fellow "Thrones" alumnus Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Gemma Chan and Brian Tyree Henry.

In addition to the movie previews, Disney unveiled a new poster for "The Rise of Skywalker" and the first look at Emma Stone in "Cruella," a live-action movie that casts her as the villainous Cruella de Vil from "101 Dalmatians." The studio also announced a May 2022 premiere date for "Black Panther."

Disney previously announced an ambitious release schedule for "Star Wars" and "Avatar" movies -- basically alternating every year, beginning with first "Avatar" sequel in 2021 -- but did not provide any updates about those plans. Friday, the studio unveiled a lineup of Marvel and "Star Wars"-related series for its streaming service, Disney+.

"Avatar" came into the Disney fold with the studio's acquisition of most entertainment assets from Fox, which included reuniting Marvel with the Fantastic Four and X-Men franchises, to which Fox acquired the rights years ago.

The movie presentation -- attended by an estimated 7,000 people -- opened with a sizzle reel that featured footage from an array of Disney movies, featuring the tagline, "We make the movies. You make them magic."